


The Buttercup Pie Incident

by themystery424



Series: I'll Love You Even When You Forget My Name [13]
Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of suicide towards the end, buttercup pie, canon events occur, sick king
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 10:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11416212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themystery424/pseuds/themystery424
Summary: The two royal children make Asgore a buttercup pie, and everyone is sad about that. Gaster takes Asriel and Chara to his and Grillby's house to stay the night and calm down. Chara just wants things to be right for monsterkind.  So they hatch a plan that might save them all, if it goes off without a hitch. Gaster knows they're up to something.(and we're beginning our descent into the sadness. :) another update to the soulmate series)





	The Buttercup Pie Incident

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are signing.  
> Gaster talking is always in Wingdings.

Gaster stared at the center of the Core, watching it in awe. He couldn’t stay around too long, of course. Every moment of exposure to the center, which was resting on a rift between the Void and the Underground, allowed particles of the Void to seep into his soul and slowly eat him from the inside out. He looked at the holes in his hands, evidence to the fact. He’d passed out in the center of the Core once, and the overnight exposure had taken its toll. Gaster, knowing he had a moment of privacy, pulled his soul forth from his chest. He turned he turned his soul over in his hands, watching the deep violet pulses of electricity clash with the occasional sparks of gold. For a moment, he hoped that maybe the contamination of his soul was something made up, something he had imagined.

Then, Gaster saw it. One of the electric charges came out as black, instead of the violet color it should have been. Fear shook him, and he quickly shoved the thing back into his chest. It was definitely contaminated. And that same contamination was in his children’s souls. He needed to hurry, to find a cure or extraction of the matter which allowed him to remember the human’s resets. Gaster held his skull in his hands, looking through the gaping holes at the Core’s center. What a reckless move. Creating a new soul, when he had evidence that his own was tainted with something unnatural. What an idiotic-

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He stopped, looking around at the Core’s center. Chara had reset, he realized, looking at where he’d been standing only moments ago. He quickly returned to his train of thought, glancing down at his chest. He’d need to start experimenting on Void removal processes here soon. Finding one that worked before his sons got old enough to realize what was happening when the human reset would be ni-

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He took two steps, then realized, once again, what Chara had done. Why? In such quick succession? Gaster turned around, deciding he’d go to investigate-

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He stopped quickly, head swim-

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He felt sick, which didn’t make sense. He didn’t have a stomach, and food made by monsters was made of magic, so feeling sick-

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He crumpled to the floor, groaning in agony. Too many resets. Too quickly. Why, why,  _ why _ -

Gaster walked through the gateway, leading to the center of the Core. He felt his knees give again, and he curled up on the floor. How did other monsters not notice? How did they not feel the ache in their souls? Why did it have to happen to him now?

The resets seemed to have stop. Gaster sat up, rubbing his temples. The cracks in his skull were throbbing, a sensation only made worse when his phone rang. He answered with a soft groan. “Hello?”

“Uncle Gaster?” Asriel’s voice was weak, on the verge of tears. “Can you please come here? Dad’s really sick, an-and it’s all our fault.”

Gaster hung up immediately and found a shortcut to New Home. He was in the living room, met with the sight of Asriel and Chara on the floor, hugging each other tightly. Asriel was crying, holding the phone.

“It’s ou-our fault.” Asriel sobbed. “H-h-he’s gonna-”

“It’s going to be alright.” Chara told him. “Come on, Azzy. Just smile. Try and laugh it off, you crybaby.” They were smiling, teasing Asriel and laughing a little. 

Gaster cleared his throat, and both children jumped. A split second later, and both of them were on their feet, running at Gaster and hugging his legs. He got down and hugged both of them back. After Asriel’s crying had been soothed, Gaster pulled back to sign,  _ “What’s going on, children?” _

“W-we made dad butterscotch pie, b-but we used buttercups instead of butter…” Asriel explained, rubbing his eyes. Gaster’s eye sockets widened.

_ “Where is he?” _

“His room.” Chara said, pointing down the hall. Gaster sprinted down the hall, bounding into Asgore’s room unannounced. The King and Queen were both there, Toriel sitting at Asgore’s side, holding her husband’s hand. Dread and worry was present in her eyes, tears threatening to make an appearance.

“Oh, Gaster. Thank goodness you’re here. The children, they-”

_ “They explained everything.”  _ Gaster signed, before holding Asgore’s soul with his blue magic.  _ “His HP is extremely low, but nothing that can’t be recovered with food and rest. There’s no permanent damage.”  _

“That’s really good to hear.” Toriel’s voice trembled just a little, and Gaster walked around, patting her back lightly. Asgore coughed, and his HP dropped by one point. Gaster frowned.

_ “Has he eaten anything else today?” _

“No, he hasn’t.” Toriel whispered. “I should get him something.”

_ “Yes. That would be for the best. And make him rest. No getting up to do anything, gardening, being king, nothing. All typical responsibilities are to be abandoned.” _

“No! I have to-” Asgore coughed again. “As king, I must-”

“You will do no such thing.” Toriel told her husband firmly, though her voice still quivered slightly. “Asgore, my love, you must rest.”

_ “Sleep is especially going to be useful in this case. It will help you recover HP so much faster.”  _ Gaster turned to Toriel.  _ “May I take the children for the evening?”  _

Toriel hesitated but nodded. “Yes, that would be for the best, wouldn’t it? Do you have enough space in your house?”

_ “Definitely. They can sleep in the living room, on the couch.” _

“Alright.” Toriel nodded. “Make sure Chara wears heavier clothing. Asriel won’t need as much, since he’s got his fur, but Chara has flesh and very little protective covering.”

_ “I’ll see to it.”  _ Gaster assured Toriel. He hugged her, an action she reciprocated tightly.  _ “Take care of him, Toriel. And call me if he gets worse.”  _

“Dear, I can’t see what you’re signing.” Toriel laughed softly.  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him. Go, take the children. I’m sure they’ll be excited to see Papyrus and Sans.” 

Gaster pulled out of the hug with a smile, glancing at Asgore, who was almost asleep. As he walked around the bed to leave, Asgore grabbed his hand. Gaster turned around quickly.

“Yes, your majesty?” He asked, making both royals in the room flinch. Gaster’s cheeks turned a light lavender in embarrassment. He kept holding Asgore’s gaze, waiting for the King to speak.

“Please tell Chara and Asriel that it was just a mistake, and that I’ll be okay.” He smiled. “And tell the two of them that we love them.” 

Gaster nodded, and once his hand was released, he made his way to the two children sitting together in the living room. They looked up at him with wide eyes, Chara’s a stunning red and Asriel’s a deep, soothing green. Gaster sighed.  _ “Get your things ready, I’m taking you to Snowdin for the night. Your father is fine, and he wanted you to know that he and your mom love you very much.”  _ He signed to them. The two kids nodded, and ran to their shared room to gather some things. Gaster pulled out his phone and called Grillby.

“Hey babe.” Came the sweet, smoky tones of his beloved, and all tension melted from Gaster’s body. He could hear some yelling in the background, a couple of ‘NYEH’s and ‘pap’s. Papyrus and Sans, goofing around probably. It was enough to make Gaster forget all about what had happened. “What’s going on?” Grillby pushed when Gaster hadn’t answered.

“The royal children are staying the night at our house today.” Gaster told him. “There’s been an incident, and the King and Queen would be better off alone this evening.”

“Is everyone okay? What happened?” 

“The children made a pie for Asgore, but instead of using butter they used buttercups. He’s very sick.”

“Yeah, he would be…” Grillby let out a long, slow sigh. “Is he going to be okay, Gaster?”

“Yes, he just needs rest. Are you okay with this, Grillby?”

“Yes, yes of course.” For a moment, there was silence, then, “Yes, boys, I’m talking to father. Wanna say hi? Okay, here you go. Gaster you’re on speaker.” 

“FATAR!! HI FATA!!!”

“hi.”

Gaster chuckled, smiling brightly. “Hello boys. Are you being good for dad?”

“YES! SPAG.”

“More spaghetti, Papyrus? Really?” 

“Yes,” Grillby answered. “More spaghetti. He loves the stuff.”

“yum.” Sans said. “but not like ket.”

“Ketchup is delicious too, Sans. I agree.” Gaster’s cheekbones were beginning to hurt a little from smiling. “Hey, guess what boys? Father is coming home now, and I’m bringing Asriel and Chara.” 

“asreal!”

“CARRRRRAH!!” 

Gaster laughed at his sons, shaking his head. “Yes, Chara and Asriel. We’ll be home soon.” 

“YAY!!”

“yeeeeee!” 

“Alright, Grillby, I’m going to let you go.” Gaster smiled softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Gaster. See you soon.” 

Gaster clicked his phone closed and sighed, looking up just in time to see the royal children running down the hall. Asriel and Chara each had a bag, and Chara was dressed in a warm jacket. Gaster thought about the hot temperatures of Hotland, and decided that even though he couldn’t take the three of them straight to Snowdin, he could probably find a shortcut to the Riverperson. He didn’t want Chara to overheat.  _ “Children, take my hands, please.”  _ After signing, he offered his hands.

Chara took his left hand, and Asriel took his right. In a second they were at the Riverperson’s boat. The Riverperson let them on, and Gaster held onto their souls, fearful of them falling off of the boat and into the river. 

“Tra la la~ You’ll need six, six of them. A golden flower is very becoming. Imagine all that you have is what makes you different. Tra la la~”

Gaster stared at the Riverperson, frowning. He had no idea what it meant, nor did he bother thinking that perhaps what they were saying actually applied to the children.  He looked at the water, the two kids sitting there, holding their bags tightly. They got to Snowdin minutes later, and the three of them hopped off the boat. The Riverperson said their usual parting words, and Gaster led the children through Snowdin. 

 

Chara had said they needed to take a walk, and Gaster told them he would go with them. The scientist told his husband they’d be back in an hour, and Grillby frowned at this news.

“It’s almost time for dinner.” He said and Gaster sighed.

“I know, but this is necessary. Chara is still feeling rather distraught over this morning, and they’d rather not show how upset they are in front of Asriel, for fear of making him cry again. You understand, don’t you dear?” 

Grilly nodded slowly, glancing behind the skeleton at the twins and Asriel playing on the floor, laughing. They were racing little toy cars, making motor sounds with their mouths and having a good time overall. No, to upset Asriel would upset Sans and Papyrus, and it would take forever to get those two to calm down. He returned his attention to his husband, who was waiting for his answer to the question. “Yes, I understand.” He murmured.

“Thank you so much dear.” Gaster pecked his cheek lightly. 

“One hour?” 

“One hour.” Gaster promised before pulling away from his husband. Grillby watched him walk out the front door, the human already out there waiting for him, before sitting on the floor between Sans and Asriel.

“DAD LOOK!” Papyrus beamed, showing Grillby his racecar. 

Sans giggled. “heheh. pap so coo.” He said, and Papyrus beamed.

“Hey, Uncle Grillby?” Grillby looked at the young prince, who was smiling sheepishly. “I know Sans and Papyrus are twins, but, do you know who’s older?”

“Sans.” Grillby replied without hesitance. “His soul was completely and fully formed, before it self-divided. Gaster and I have no idea why it self divided like it did, but it happened. The soul that broke off then became Papyrus’s soul.”

“That’s cool.” Asriel looked between the two brothers. “You can tell.” 

Grillby raised an eyebrow. “You can tell?”

“Yeah, you can tell that Sans is older. He lets Papyrus win a lot of games.”

Grillby was confused. Although, he’d never really analyzed the way his kids played. That was more Gaster’s thing, being analytical and coming to conclusions. Grillby turned and watched Papyrus and Sans play. They were still racing little cars, and it looked like Sans was going to win. Then Sans slowed down just a little. It wasn’t so much that it was obvious, but it was enough that Papyrus could take the lead and win the race.

“NYEH HEH HEH!”

“yay! pap won.” Sans beamed, looking at his brother with happiness. 

Papyrus simply grinned. “WON!”

Asriel laughed, grinning along with Papyrus. “Do you think Sans will age quicker than Papyrus?” He asked Grillby, still looking at the little ones with their cars. “Every soul ages differently, and stops where they wanna stop, so… Do you think Sans will age quicker, and Papyrus slower?”

“No, not unless he had to. Say, if Gaster and I were both gone from their lives one day. Then I think Sans would age more rapidly, so he could take care of Papyrus. But that’ll never happen, so we don’t have to worry.” Grillby smiled. “Want to help me make dinner, Prince Asriel?”

“Yeah!” Asriel jumped to his feet. “Are the babies coming?”

“Definitely.” Grillby scooped Papyrus and Sans in his arms, holding them close to his chest. 

“COOK! COOK!” Papyrus chanted.

Sans pretended to fall asleep, not much a fan for cooking. He mumbled “zzzzzz” softly as he was carried to the kitchen and placed in his high chair. The moment he was strapped in, he put his head on the high chair tray. “zzzzzz” continued to come from the little skeleton.

“SANS! LAZYBONES!!” Papyrus scolded his brother. 

“zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.” 

Asriel giggled before turning to Grillby. “What are we going to make for dinner?”

  
Gaster watched the human walk. Occasionally, they’d kick up snow, just because they could, and toppled someone’s snowman. Gaster frowned at this behavior, though didn’t bring it up. While, in truth, it had been Chara’s idea to take this walk, Gaster was happy for it. He wanted to discuss with Chara the possibility of no longer resetting four times in a row. 

“I did cry.” Chara said quietly, the first thing they’d said on this walk. “I cried a lot, the first time. And then, then I tried to load, and go back to before dad ate the pie. But I’d already saved over that time, but I kept reloading, hoping there’d be different results.” 

Both Chara and Gaster stopped, sitting in the snow along the path.  _ “I know you did. I felt it.”  _ He told them, only partially bitter. The human’s face flushed a red deep enough to match their eyes, looking away from him now.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Gaster. I forget that you can feel that. I just… I couldn’t take it.” They looked like they were about to cry. With reluctance, Gaster wrapped an arm around their shoulders, holding them close. Chara began to cry, sobbing into Gaster’s side, while the skeleton simply sat there and let them. It was ten minutes before they pulled away, their crying slowing after a while. They sniffled a few times and rubbed their eyes. “S-sorry…”

_ “No need to apologize to me.”  _ Gaster signed.  _ “I know you’re upset, Chara. It’s okay to be upset.”  _

The human was silent for a moment. “To cross the Barrier… You need a human soul, and a monster soul… right?” 

The question completely threw Gaster, and he stared at the human for a moment before hesitantly signing  _ “Yes, a human and a monster soul.”  _

“But monster souls can’t persist after death.”

_ “No, they can’t.”  _

“And you need seven human souls to break the barrier.”

_ “Chara, whatever you’re thinking, abandon the thought.”  _ Gaster signed, hoping he could convey sternness into his hand movements. Chara watched the movements, and frowned.

“What if what I’m thinking could save all of monster kind? What if we could be free? What if you could raise your sons in the sunlight, have them feel grass beneath their bones, and hear the wind rustling trees?” They asked him. “Huh? What then?”

The image was tempting to Gaster, but he pushed it aside in favor for realism.  _ “I am working on developing synthetic souls, research that you could happily participate in and help bring us closer to freedom without endangering yourself or anyone else. As soon as we crack the formula, we’ll be able to make as many souls as we want, without fear of death or-” _

“That’s way too slow of a process.” Chara muttered. “It’ll take you years to crack that code.”

_ “It’ll be worth the wait if it means no one has to die.”  _

Chara didn’t respond to that. Gaster hated the way the gears seemed to turn in their head They could be cunning and devious, and knowing this, Gaster was scared. He’d have to tell the Queen and King to keep a closer eye on them. He’d do it himself if he didn’t have work and his twins to care for. 

“Okay.” They murmured. “I’ll help with your creation of souls.”

_ “That’s good to hear.”  _ Gaster nodded.  _ “Come on, I’m sure dinner is going to be ready soon and Grillby will be angry if we’re late.” _

“Okay.” They got to their feet, and Gaster pushed himself to his. The two of them paused for a moment, and Gaster looked around the wood before staring straight up. There should have been wind, or a breeze, or something… But no. They were underground. They were trapped. He’d never realized how claustrophobic it is. 

The human and the skeleton walked back to the house in silence, pulling the door open and holding it open for Chara to go in first. Immediately they were able to put on smiles for their loved ones, sounds of laughter and small amounts of screeching able to be heard from the kitchen.

“AHHH!! SANS STOP!!”

“why?” 

“Hey, how can you even do that!” Asriel yelled.

“Magic.” Grillby replied dryly. 

Gaster laughed softly, eyes glowing a soft purple.  _ “Sans is rather mischievous.”  _ He signed to the human.  _ “Should we investigate?”  _

“Yeah.” Chara grinned, running towards the kitchen. Gaster followed, looking in to see Sans hovering in the air, a foot above his high chair. He made mental notes, having noticed that Sans’s magic abilities were developing a lot quicker than Papyrus’s, although he was weaker stats wise. Papyrus hadn’t shown any signs of developing any kind of ability, and honestly it did worry Gaster. 

“Sans!” The scientist yelled. “Sit down in your high chair now.”

“no.” Sans replied, and Gaster frowned. 

“Don’t make me make you sit down Sans.” He lifted his hand, about to use blue magic on his unruly son. Sans frowned, and lowered himself back down into his high chair. He sulked for all of half a second, before Papyrus squealed loudly.

“YES!! SANS BACK.”

Sans giggled. “heheheh. Hi bro.”

“HI!!!” Papyrus waved. 

Grillby looked up at Gaster and smiled softly, his flames burning gold. Gaster returned the smile and walked around the table to his husband. Asriel and Chara took seats at the table, talking with each other and the two skelebabies.

“So, how was cooking dinner?” Gaster asked, looking at the stove. 

“It was fun. Asriel and I used fire magic to cook tonight.” Grillby smiled. “Burgers and fries tonight. Prince Asriel suggested it.” Gaster looked down at the tray of fries and took one, plopping it in his mouth. “Hey now, wait for everyone else.” Grillby playfully slapped Gaster’s hand, and Gaster huffed.

“Fine.” He sighed, and Grillby rolled his eyes at just how dramatic it was.

“Alright, alright go sit down. I’ll get everyone served up.” He told him. Gaster smiled and took a seat beside Papyrus’s high chair, watching the baby gab at the two children. Sans was pretending to sleep, until mashed up food was placed down in front of him. Drenched in ketchup, of course. 

Asriel grinned, sharing a basket of fries with Chara. He was chattering about how he used his fire magic to fry the slices of potato. Chara rolled their eyes, trying to dismiss the conversation topic in general.

“Okay, Azzy, I get it. You used magic.” They said, though Gaster could hear tones of endearment in their voice. They cared about Asriel, more than they wanted to let on. Asriel blushed, the tips of his ears turning red as well.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to go on and on.” He said.

“cool mag.” Sans told the prince, trying to tell him ‘cool magic’. 

Asriel grinned. “You got some pretty cool magic yourself Sans. And you have a cool brother.”

“I COOL!!” Papyrus shouted, throwing food in the air.

Grillby barely avoided getting splat on his way to his seat beside Gaster. “Don’t throw food, Papyrus.” He scolded lightly. 

“SORRY DAD.” Papyrus said, before eating his food happily, sipping on milk. 

Sans smiled at his little family, looking around the dining room table. He stared extra long at Chara, finding them to be a little strange. But overall, he was happy where he was. He stared at his dads next, watching them intently. Father looked… perturbed, his eye sockets void of their usual white pinpricks for a second before they returned. Father also glanced at Chara and Asriel occasionally, who were laughing and eating their burgers. He wondered why father would spend so much time focused on those two.

Dad was burning brightly, that flashy, yellowy color. He was happy, especially when he looked at father. They were in love, he thought. They said it all the time at least. Then, when father caught dad looking over at him, his eyes would glow purple and his cheekbones would turn purple. It was really funny to watch. Sans giggled, without direct rhyme or reason.

Then he watched Papyrus. Papyrus was having fun, babbling on. He was so bright and happy. He really liked cooking. Sans had to wonder why. Cooking looked so boring. But dad and Papyrus liked it, so it couldn’t be all bad. Sans would rather sleep. Papyrus liked to move, he knew. And Papyrus didn’t like to sleep. He knew that. Papyrus liked going fast, and he liked cooking, and Papyrus liked other people. And Papyrus loved their dads, and Papyrus loved him.

Sans then stared down at his ketchup drenched food that was meant for him, and his ‘soft teeth’, something he’d heard his father mention once or twice or thrice or… how ever many times. He liked sleeping, and he loved his family. And he wanted to keep Papyrus happy. Everyone else was okay, he guessed. As long as Papyrus was happy, he could be happy. That was the truth.

After thinking all these things, these so many things, Sans felt tired. So he face planted into the remainder of his food on his high chair. 

“zzzzz.” 

“SANS!!! MESSY!!!” Papyrus yelled, and Sans guessed he was frowning.

“Hey! You splattered food all the way over here!” Chara shouted. 

“heheheh. zzzzzzzzz.” 

“He’s just a baby Chara.” Asriel said, laughing.

“Oh dear…” His father sighed. “Guess he’s getting a bath tonight.”

“Good luck with that.” Dad murmured. He sounded like he had food in his mouth.

“nooooooooooooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaath.” Sans replied, dragging out his words, hoping they’d convey just how much he didn’t want to have a bath. Then he realized they probably couldn’t bathe him, if he was asleep. “zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.”

“Well, at least a face wash.” Father conceded. 

Sans would take it. A face wash was, by all means, better than a bath. He continued to pretend to sleep all through the rest of dinner, afterwards his face was cleaned thoroughly. Chara and Asriel were gonna sleep on his couch, which he saw while he was being carried upstairs by his father. Papyrus was being carried by dad, and both of them were laid down in their cribs. Dad got a book off the shelf.

“Ready for the bedtime story?” He asked, getting comfortable in a chair they had put in there. 

Papyrus squealed. “YEAH!!! STORY!!!”

“heheheheh. storytime!” Sans grinned. 

Father smiled and sat on the floor in front of dad, staring up at him with his eyes glowing purple faintly. Sans glowed his eye too, and Papyrus followed suit. Dad burned lowly, his gold flames twisting and turning in the air. “Whenever you’re ready my dear.”

“Alright… once upon a time, there was a bunny. And his name was Fluffy Bunny….” 

It didn’t take much after that, and Sans was asleep.

 

Chara laid awake on their end of the couch. They looked at the gold locket around their neck, one that Asriel had gotten them just days before. ‘Best Friends Forever.’ Soulmates could be best friends. Gaster had said so. And soulmates could more easily share their souls, they had learned. If Asriel was really their best friend, and their soulmate, would he be willing to take their soul and cross the barrier? Do what needed to be done, and bring freedom to all monsters?

And if so, what would become of them once the mission was complete? Would they forever live as one fused soul? 

Chara didn’t think it would be too bad, and if it failed, they would be able to reset. Wouldn’t they?

In the end, the human didn’t sleep a wink that night. They instead mulled over their plan in their hand, wondering how they would even get their soul out for Asriel to take.

It was late in the night when the idea finally came to them. 

The quickest way for Asriel to get their soul, was if they died. Then the soul would be exposed for him to take.

The thought of dying made Chara flinch. Dying was painful, wasn’t it?

Asgore didn’t seem to be in much pain earlier, when he was almost dead. Just sick from the rapid HP drop from the buttercups.

But that hadn’t been just buttercups. The buttercups had been diluted by the other pie ingredients.

Buttercups.

Six souls.

Chara and Asriel could do it, as long as they stayed together and did it together.

And, of course, as long as they stayed determined.

**Author's Note:**

> Next: "The king and queen had lost two children in one night."


End file.
